


Change of Heart

by henryhart



Category: Henry Danger (TV)
Genre: Confessions, Crushes, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Possibly Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-08-14 14:31:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20193811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/henryhart/pseuds/henryhart
Summary: Jasper thought it was going to be just another normal, boring day at work - until he discovers he's gay and has a crush on his best friend.All in the span of about 60 seconds. When Henry finally confronts him, he confesses, but Henry doesn't feel the same way. Will his crush stay unrequited or will Henry have a...change of heart?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This entire mini fic is inspired by an absolutely ridiculous post with the same premise on my Tumblr (bizackmartin) and I couldn't rest until I actually wrote it so sldfksd. I'm sorry. Tell me what you think, good or bad!

Jasper sighed heavily as he pushed the front door of Swellview High open and started the long walk to Junk N’ Stuff for his afternoon shift. He pulled his tangled headphones out of his pocket and shoved them in his ears as he connected them to his pearphone. He pressed play and slid his phone back in his pocket as he looked up at the blue sky for a minute with an exasperated expression on his face. It was the middle of May, but the temperature made it feel like an oven outside and Jasper was already beginning to sweat. **  
**

He was late for his shift at work as he had to stay after school to make up a test he had missed the previous week due to being sick, so when he finally arrived, he found Charlotte and Ray sitting at the monitors with their backs to him discussing something or other. Henry had stepped out to get dinner for the group and Schwoz was in his lab working on who knows what, so it was just the two of them. They hadn’t heard him come in so they hadn’t realized yet that he was in the room. Jasper pulled his headphones from his ears as he started towards the rotating couch. 

“Yeah, she told me she wants to ask Jasper out. I don’t know how to tell her he’s gay,” he heard Charlotte say. He stopped dead in his tracks as he furrowed his eyebrows.

“Excuse me, I’m _what_ now?” 

He hadn’t taken his headphones out of his ears completely yet, so he wasn’t sure if he had heard that right. Charlotte and Ray jumped as they turned to face Jasper now, panicked expressions on each of their faces. 

“Well, you’re…I…” Charlotte stuttered out as she struggled to find what to say next. 

“Do you just say you thought I was gay?” Jasper questioned. 

“Well…I just-” Charlotte stammered, but she really couldn’t find a way to recover. 

“Wait…_am_ I?” Jasper asked more to himself then Charlotte as he started to think it over. Ray and Charlotte shared a look before turning their attention to Jasper again. 

Now that Jasper was thinking about it, things were starting to click. 

“Is this something you really want to consider right now?” Charlotte asked cautiously. She didn’t want to force Jasper to think about something he wasn’t quite ready for. 

“Yeah, it is,” he answered decisively. 

“Well, think about this, then,” Charlotte started, “and be honest with yourself; how did you really feel when Patina ghosted you?” 

_Honestly?_

Honestly, Jasper felt relieved. He didn’t need to say that out loud; the look on his face gave Charlotte the answer she had thought to begin with. 

Now that Jasper was thinking about it, he had always felt sort of relieved when any of his relationships with girls would end; and when they began, this heavy pit would form in his stomach, but he could never really figure out why. 

Also, there was that time in sixth grade when they had gotten a new student, Joey, and he was the only thing Jasper could think about for two weeks straight. 

Or that time in Junior High when Jasper would spend every waking second that he wasn’t with Henry or Charlotte with another kid in their class, Ben. 

Or that time freshman year in high school when he would visit the same coffee shop every day for an entire semester because the guy working at the cash register had stunning hazel eyes and the softest looking hair Jasper had ever seen. 

Or that time last week when- 

“Oh my god, I’m gay!” Jasper exclaimed as he plopped down on the rotating couch. “Why didn’t any of you tell me?!?!” 

Charlotte and Ray shared another glance. 

“Sorry, we thought you knew!” Ray answered defensively. Suddenly, Jasper’s entire life made sense to him. How could he have been so clueless?

“Is there anything else I should know?!” he interrogated. 

“Well…” Charlotte replied. Jasper’s eyes went wide as he looked at her with a surprised expression. 

“Wait, there’s MORE?!” 

Charlotte kinda winced a little as she looked at Jasper, unsure of whether she should proceed or not. She didn’t want to cause Jasper more distress than she already had. Ray, however, wasn’t as worried about Jasper’s feelings.

“Yeah. You’ve got like, a massive crush on Henry, dude,” he said with a chuckle. Jasper’s mouth fell open as he stared at Ray. 

“I WHAT?! Are you sure?!” he cried. Ray and Charlotte just nodded in response. Jasper slumped back in his seat as he looked down at the table. First, he just found out he was gay and now he’s finding out that he’s got a crush on his best friend?! His head felt like it was reeling. It wasn’t really the gay part or the crush that was bothering him; it was more so the fact that he had found all this out in a span of about one minute. 

“Think about it like this; think about how you feel when you’re around Henry. How you feel spending time with him, how it feels when you have any type of physical contact, even if it’s accidental,” Charlotte began. 

“Okayyyy…”Jasper replied slowly. 

And so, he thought about it. He thought about how he was usually happiest when he was with Henry. How, when they were spending time together, he would get this warm feeling in his chest, and that warm feeling would spread to his whole body if Henry simply brushed against Jasper’s hand with his as he was reaching for something. He thought about how he could be having one of the worst days of his life, but simply seeing Henry smile made the thing that was bothering him not seem to matter much anymore. 

“Now think about how you feel when you’re with me. Is it the same?” Charlotte questioned.

So, Jasper thought about that too; and sure, spending time with Charlotte made him happy. She was one of his best friends, and she could also cheer him up if he was having a bad day. But, he just didn’t quite get the same warm feeling in his chest when he was around her. He didn’t quite feel the same excitement if she accidentally brushed her hand against his. 

“Oh my god, I have a crush on Henry!” 

As Jasper was talking, the elevator dinged indicating it had landed at the Man Cave and the doors slid open. 

“What about Henry?” Jasper heard a familiar voice from behind him say and his entire body went icy cold. He turned to see Henry strolling out of the elevator with a box full of Chinese food in his arms. 

“Uhh…” Jasper started, feeling faint. His heart was pounding and he was hoping with his entire his soul that Henry hadn’t heard his entire declaration. Henry was watching Jasper expectantly, and Jasper was wishing for nothing more than to just melt into the floor and disappear. 

“I was just…asking where you were,” he answered shakily as he slowly stood up. “Yeah, that’s it! Anyway, I got to go,” he said as he practically sprinted up the stairs to the tubes. Henry watched in confusion as he disappeared up the tubes before he could even get a word in. He furrowed his eyebrows and turned his attention to Charlotte and Ray. 

“What was that about?” he asked as he pointed towards the tubes. Charlotte and Ray exchanged nervous glances and started stuttering as they both tried to come up with a viable excuse. 

“Psh. It’s Jasper, you know how it is,” Ray responded as he shrugged. Henry narrowed his eyes as he continued to watch the pair. He wasn’t really satisfied with that excuse, but he decided not to press the issue. 

“Okay, whatever. Here’s your food.” 

Henry set the box down onto the table and sat down on the couch as he turned his attention to the tubes again for a moment while Ray and Charlotte started to dig in. 

* * *

The next day, Jasper found himself sitting down in the Man Cave across from Henry, and he began to study his features. 

_Was he really attracted to him?_

I mean, sure his eyes would glisten in the sunlight. And sure, it was kind of adorable when Henry would run his fingers through his hair. And, okay, maybe Jasper thought he had a smile that could light up all of Swellview. But, that didn’t mean he was attracted to him. 

Right?

“Okay, Jasper, you’ve been staring at me for twenty minutes, what _is _it?” Henry asked, an exasperated tone to his voice, as he put his phone down on the table and looked up at Jasper. Jasper snapped out of his thoughts as he met Henry’s gaze. 

“Huh? Oh, sorry, it’s nothing. I just got lost in thought and just happened to be looking in your general direction. That’s all.” 

Henry frowned a little as he stood up to get something out of the Auto-Snacker. He was a little unconvinced, but he didn’t have the energy to get into it, so he just kept his mouth shut. Just then, Ray appeared from behind the door shaped like a gear, a deck of cards in his hands. 

“Hey, guys! Want to play a round of go fish?” he asked as he stole Henry’s seat. Henry and Jasper both just shrugged in response as Henry grabbed a bowl of popcorn out of the Auto-Snacker. He decided that instead of arguing over Ray about stealing his seat, it would just be easier to sit next to Jasper, much to Jasper’s dismay. Being in close proximity to Henry was making Jasper feel like his heart was going to beat out of his chest. Henry set the bowl down in the middle of the table as Ray started handing out the cards. Ray being Ray, just tossed the cards out on the table expecting the two boys to just grab them as they flew which meant half of Henry’s cards ended up on the other side of Jasper. Henry reached across Jasper to grab them, and Jasper felt his breath get caught in his throat. Henry’s face was so close to his, and he smelled so nice. He would only have to move just a little bit in order to connect Henry’s lips to his. That thought freaked him out so much that it caused him to jump to where he was now sitting on the back of the couch. Ray and Henry both looked at him dumbfounded.

“Woah! Can you not do that?!” Jasper exclaimed as he tried to regulate his breathing again. Henry furrowed his eyebrows and shot a glance at Ray before looking to Jasper again. 

“Not do what?” he responded, clearly confused. 

“Reach across me like that!” 

Henry was a little taken aback by Jasper’s answer. 

“Um, yeah. I’m sorry, I didn’t know it would bother you,” he replied, still a little unsure of what was going on. 

“It’s fine,” Jasper said as he started to climb down off the couch, “I gotta go.”

He frantically started pressing the button on the elevator, as if that would make it come faster. 

“Where are you going?” Henry asked, still puzzled, as the elevator doors slid open and Jasper slipped inside. 

“Uhh…I have…a thing!” Jasper declared as he started pressing the button repeatedly again, hoping the doors would close before he would have to explain further, and luckily for him, they did. Henry just turned to Ray, clearly perplexed, but Ray just shrugged as he turned his attention to the cards in his hand. 

* * *

Most of Jasper’s encounters with Henry over the next week went the exact same way. Jasper would either avoid Henry altogether or would do his best to stay as far away from him as possible. If they did have to be in close proximity, Jasper would freak if Henry got into his personal space. 

Jasper and Henry were down in the Man Cave with the rest of the team when the same type of situation occurred. Henry finally decided to confront Jasper about it, and Jasper could tell by the look on Henry’s face that he was a little hurt. 

“Jasper, what’s going on? You’ve been weird around me all week!” 

Jasper sighed heavily as he tried to think of an excuse. 

“Nothing. It’s just…” 

“Just what? I mean, I would understand if you don’t want to be touched or something like that, but you don’t freak out when Charlotte or Ray accidentally invade your space, so is it me? Are you upset with me over something?” Henry interrogated. 

“No, it’s not that! It’s just…” 

“What?” 

Henry approached Jasper as his expression softened a bit. 

“C’mon, Jasper. You’re my best friend. You can tell me anything,” Henry said gently. Jasper swallowed hard as he looked at Henry. He could see how upset Henry was by this and it was killing Jasper knowing that he was the cause. 

“Okay, it’s just…” Jasper started, but then he looked over Henry’s shoulder to see that Ray, Schwoz, and Charlotte were watching them intently. Henry turned to see what Jasper was looking at and frowned. 

“Do you guys mind?” he said. 

“No, we don’t mind, go ahead,” Ray replied. Henry rolled his eyes as he gestured for Jasper to follow him to the elevator. As soon as the elevator doors slid shut, Ray and Schwoz jumped up to press their ears against the door. 

“Guys! You can’t do that!” Charlotte scolded. Ray just rolled his eyes and scoffed.

“C’mon, Char. Aren’t you just a little bit curious?” he asked, trying to be quiet enough so the boys wouldn’t hear him. Charlotte continued to give the pair a disapproving look for a moment before she finally cracked. 

“Okay, fine, move over,” she said as she joined them at the door. 

“Can you hear anything?” she questioned as she pressed her ear against the elevator. 

“Yeah. I just heard someone ask if I can hear anything,” Ray responded, and Schwoz and Charlotte both smacked him. 

Meanwhile, in the elevator, Henry was watching as Jasper began to pace. 

“What’s going on, Jasp?” 

Jasper stopped to look at Henry as he felt his heart begin to beat in his throat. His palms were sweaty and he was sure he was going to vomit at any second. 

“Okay. Well, I don’t know how to say this exactly,” he started. 

“Wait a second, hold that thought,” Henry said as he made a fist and held it up in front of him for a second. He examined the door for a minute before he found the perfect spot, and once he did, he hit the side of his fist in that spot as hard as he could, causing the door to make a loud clanging noise. Henry and Jasper then heard the muffled cries of their other three teammates, who now had loud ringing in their ears. A satisfied grin spread across Henry’s lips as he turned his attention back to Jasper. 

“Okay, continue,” he said. 

“I’m not exactly sure how to continue,” Jasper admitted. Henry took a step towards him as he grabbed his hand. 

“Just say it. You can tell me anything, you know that,” he responded tenderly. Jasper could see in Henry’s eyes that he was genuine, and for a fleeting moment, the thought of telling him how he felt wasn’t so scary. He took a deep breath. 

“Well, see…the reason I’ve been so weird around you is because…” Jasper paused as he looked into Henry’s expectant eyes. Those adorable puppy dog eyes. 

“It’s because I like you,” he finished softly. Henry frowned a little. 

“Well, I mean, I like you too. We’re best friends,” he replied, clearly confused. Jasper sighed. 

“No, you’re not understanding. I like you.” 

Henry continued to watch him with the same dumbfounded expression for a second before realization slowly crept onto his face. 

“Oh,” he breathed. There was silence for a moment as Henry tried to figure out how to respond. 

“Jasper…I don’t know what to say,” he started, “I’m not exactly sure how to put this…” 

Jasper held up a hand to stop him. The look on Henry’s face told Jasper everything he needed to know. 

“You don’t need to say anything. I get it,” he replied as he tried to hide his disappointment and heartache. Henry gave him an apologetic look. 

“I’m really sorry.” 

“Don’t be! You have nothing to be sorry for. You can’t help the way you feel, just like I can’t,” Jasper said. Henry gave him a sympathetic smile. 

“Just promise me one thing,” Jasper continued. 

“Anything.” 

“Promise me that this won’t change our friendship.” 

Henry grinned.

“I promise. In fact, why don’t you come over this weekend? You can stay over like you used to. We can play video games, order pizza. It’ll be fun.” 

Jasper smiled as he nodded in response. 

“I’m there.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so, I originally only wanted this to be two parts, but the second part is too long so now I gotta break it up into three parts lskdf. My bad. Because of that, this part just kinda ends and I apologize for that, but if I continued it would just get too long so it’s gotta end where it does. Let me know what you think, good or bad!

Despite the fact that neither of them wanted their friendship to be affected, things were still a little awkward between Henry and Jasper for the rest of the week. Henry was suddenly hyper-aware of how often he ended up in Jasper’s personal space and he did his best to actively avoid it, not wanting to upset Jasper more than he already had. Whenever the two of them would wind up in a room alone together, they found themselves in an uncomfortable silence fumbling for things to say. They both secretly hoped that their sleepover would allow them to push past the initial discomfort and to work past the issue in order to get back to the way they used to be. 

At least, that was their hope. 

Friday night rolled around faster than Jasper anticipated, and before he knew it he was standing on his front porch with his backpack full of stuff, ready to make the trek over to Henry’s. He started down the steps and looked up at the sky to see dark clouds looming overhead and he heard a crack of thunder in the distance. 

He felt nervous about staying over at Henry’s. The only other time he ever felt anxious about going there is when Henry had asked him to stay over for the first time when they were just young kids. He quickened his pace a little as the threatening clouds came closer and the thunder got a little louder.

Roughly fifteen minutes later, he arrived at Henry’s front door just as a bolt of lightning lit up the sky and the rain began to pour. He stood at the door for a moment, seriously contemplating just turning around and running home. Before he could make such a decision, the front door swung open to reveal Henry smiling at him. 

“Jasp, hey! Come inside before you get soaked,” he said, even though his front door was covered and the wind would have to be seriously blowing in order for the rain to reach Jasper. Henry moved aside so Jasper could come in, and he shut the door behind him after he had stepped inside. 

“How did you know I was out there?” Jasper questioned. Henry blushed a little.

“I saw you through the window,” he answered sheepishly. 

“You’re just in time. The pizza just got here,” he said as he led Jasper into the kitchen. Jasper was immediately hit with the smell of chocolate chip cookies, and he looked to see Siren standing at the oven as she pulled a tray of them out. Once she had set them on the counter, she looked up at Jasper and smiled. 

“Hello, Jasper! It’s so nice to see you,” she said warmly. Jasper returned a joyful smile and he felt his anxiety melting away. There was something about Siren’s cheery disposition that always made Jasper feel welcome and at home when he was there. 

“I’m glad you’re here; my dad went on a business trip this weekend so if it wasn’t for you, I’d be outnumbered by the girls,” Henry teased. Siren gave him a wry smile as she grabbed one of the two pizza boxes off the kitchen table. 

“I’m going to take this up to Piper. If you guys need anything just yell, okay?” Siren said. Henry just nodded in response as he grabbed one of the cookies off the counter and took a bite. 

“Don’t eat too many of those,” Siren warned as she started towards the stairs. 

“And don’t stay up too late!” she added. Henry rolled his eyes. 

“Yes, Mom.” 

“And don’t stare at the tv screen too long, you don’t want to strain your eyes!” 

“Yes, Mom.” 

“And, Henry?” 

“What?” Henry sighed, now clearly annoyed by his mom’s nagging. She just smiled. 

“Have fun,” she said and Henry’s demeanor immediately changed. 

“Goodbye, Jasper,” Siren said as she started up the staircase. 

“Thanks for the pizza and cookies!” he called after her as she disappeared up the stairs. Henry turned his attention to Jasper again, and the uncomfortable feeling between them quickly returned. 

“Soo…” Henry started, unsure of what to do next. Jasper just looked down at his feet as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other and back again. 

“Do you wanna play video games first and then eat pizza, or eat pizza and then play video games, or play video games while we eat pizza?” Henry asked finally. Jasper met Henry’s gaze as he thought it over. 

“I think pizza is too greasy for me to be able to eat it and grip a video game controller at the same time,” he replied, his tone playful. Henry chuckled a little. 

“Okay, so pizza first?” 

“Sounds good!” 

Henry grabbed the other pizza box off the kitchen table and set it down on the coffee table before plopping down on the couch with Jasper sitting down next to him. They ate their food in silence, each of them occasionally turning to the other to say something before ultimately deciding against it. Jasper sighed heavily as he took his final bite. 

This wasn’t exactly going the way either of them had hoped. 

Henry stood up and started combing through the cabinets underneath the tv stand, searching for something for him and Jasper to play. Just as he pulled two game cases out, a huge crack of thunder boomed outside, shaking the whole house and the lights flickered. Henry and Jasper shared a look, and just a few seconds later, the electricity went out completely, leaving the pair in almost complete darkness. 

“Well, I guess playing video games is out,” Henry said as he threw the game cases back in the cabinet. Jasper then heard him curse under his breath. 

“Shit. My phone battery is dead,” he said as he pulled it out of his pocket. Jasper took his out too to see that he only had a little bit of his battery life left. He turned the flashlight on on his phone and set it on the table to illuminate the room a little.

“That’s not going to last long, my battery is almost dead too.”

“I’ll get some candles, then,” Henry said as he stood up and started rummaging through the cabinets located under the table behind the couch. He found a few of them and placed them around the room in order to light it up as much as possible. Jasper found some matches in the kitchen and he handed a few to Henry as he helped him light the candles. They finished just in time as Jasper’s phone battery died, leaving the living room illuminated in a warm, orangey glow. The pair instantly fell into an awkward silence again. Henry felt his heart sink into his stomach. Jasper was his best friend, and he hated that he was allowing this to affect their friendship, even after he promised that it wouldn’t. But, he wasn’t sure how to fix it. It wasn’t like he could force himself to feel something he didn’t, just as Jasper couldn’t force himself to change the way he felt. Henry knew all they really needed was time, but he didn’t want to wait. He just wanted his best friend. 

He watched Jasper in the orange glow of the candlelight, as Jasper fiddled with a loose string hanging from the seam of his jeans. Perhaps if they had met at another time, or if they hadn’t been friends for so long… Henry thought that he could maybe see himself liking Jasper the way that Jasper wanted. Henry had to admit that he did find himself thinking he was cute at times. Like, after gym class or when they’d have to run to work because they were late again, and Jasper’s hair would miraculously get messy and a strand would flop in front of his eyes. Or when he’d get really excited about something and his whole face would light up. Or, even just now, the way his blue eyes were glistening in the candlelight. 

Henry then found himself thinking about all the things he loved about Jasper. 

He loved the way Jasper wasn’t afraid to call him out, like the time Henry was moping about losing his powers after fighting Rick Twitler. 

He loved how quickly Jasper could figure almost any puzzle out. Like, how he was able to locate Ray almost immediately because of his surroundings the time they were stuck under a musical curse. 

He was charming, and fun, and his bubbly personality was almost infectious. 

“Wait,” Henry inadvertently said out loud as he looked down at the floor for a moment. Jasper raised his eyebrows and turned to look at Henry. 

“Wait, what?” 

Henry looked up to meet Jasper’s gaze and swallowed hard as he felt his heart rate pick up. 

Wait, why was his heart racing now?

  
Just then, Piper and Siren appeared as they came down the stairs and Henry let out a sigh of relief, secretly thankful for the distraction.

“So, since the electricity is out, I thought we could take this opportunity to host a family game night!” Siren announced. Jasper opened his mouth to say something, but Siren cut him off.

“Jasper, you know you’ll always be considered a part of this family,” she said. Jasper just smiled. 

“So, what’s it gonna be?” Henry asked as he looked at his mom. 

“What about Monopoly?” Piper suggested. 

“Monopoly is banned in this house and you know exactly why,” Siren replied sternly. Piper rolled her eyes. 

“Dad’s eyebrows eventually grew back!” she shot back defensively. Jasper furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Henry with a confused and slightly frightened expression. Henry shook his head.

“I’ll tell you the story later,” he whispered. 

“Okay, so how about Twister?” Piper proposed.

“You just want to play that because you always win,” Henry interjected. 

“Yeah, and? Afraid I’ll beat you again? Coward,” Piper quipped. 

“Fine! You’re on!” Henry shot back. Siren rolled her eyes. She was a little disappointed in her kids for not thinking to ask what their guest wanted to do. 

“Jasper, how does Twister sound to you?” she asked. Jasper shrugged in response. 

“Sounds fun to me,” he responded. Henry and Jasper then moved the coffee table out of the way while Piper went to get the game, and once she returned she sprawled the mat out on the floor. 

“Well, since I’m not particularly in the mood to twist myself into a pretzel tonight, I’ll be the referee,” Siren said as she grabbed the spinner out of the box. They decided that Piper would go first since she picked the game, and Siren spun the little black plastic arrow. 

“Okay, left foot green,” she called out and Piper placed her left foot on the corresponding circle. Since Jasper was the guest, he was picked to go second. 

“Okay, Jasper, right hand blue,” Siren said, and Jasper did as instructed. 

“Now, Henry,” Siren began as she spun the arrow again, “left foot blue.” 

Just five minutes later, Jasper found himself stretched out on the mat in the most uncomfortable position imaginable, and he was sure at any second his spine was going to snap in half. 

“Right hand red, Hen,” Siren instructed and Henry moved his right hand but stopped himself. Unfortunately, the way they were positioned, in order for Henry to put his hand on red he’d have to twist around Jasper, and since Jasper had been freaking out whenever Henry got in his personal space lately, he wasn’t quite sure he should continue. Jasper instinctively picked up on the reason why Henry was hesitating. 

“It’s okay, Henry. It’s just a part of the game,” Jasper said as he smiled at Henry. Henry smiled in return and did as he was told. Henry felt his heart race again at the close proximity to Jasper, but again, he wasn’t quite sure why. Jasper, on the other hand, felt his heart sink into his stomach. Sure, he enjoyed being close to Henry, but he hated knowing that it would only ever be as a friend. 

Just two moves later, Henry lost his balance, toppling over and taking Jasper out with him. Jasper landed on his back with Henry accidentally elbowing him in the chest on the way down. Henry shot up and reached his hand out to Jasper an apologetic and worried look on his face. 

“Dude, I’m so sorry!” he said. Jasper sat up and rubbed his chest where Henry’s elbow had landed. A mischievous smile spread across his face and he grabbed onto Henry’s hand and pulled him back down in retaliation before they both broke out into a fit of laughter. 

For the first time that night, neither of the two best friends felt uncomfortable around each other. It felt like it used too before Jasper had made his declaration. 

The rest of the night they were able to be around each other and enjoy each others’ company without feeling weird or uncomfortable. After playing a round of Sorry! and a game of Clue, the girls decided to retire to their rooms for the night, leaving the boys alone once again. The electricity was still out, so the pair struck up a conversation and they ended up talking into the early hours of the morning, despite the fact that the electricity came back on around midnight. Jasper enjoyed being able to really talk to Henry again like they used, and he was sure he hadn’t laughed that hard in a long time. Jasper wound up staying Saturday night too, and even most of the day Sunday, eventually having to leave only because he was out of clean clothes and he needed to get his homework done before the next morning. He was able to walk home that day with a smile on his face, despite the fact that he wasn’t able to completely ignore that nagging feeling deep in his chest.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so listen…there’s a date scene in here and it’s awkward and rushed and just…really bad but I’m gonna be real with you all, I got lazy halfway through and just didn’t want to write out whole date scene and I was afraid it was gonna make this fic too drawn out and boring so. Please forgive me for the awfulness that is that scene. This is the final part of this fic and it kind of just…ends asldkflsdkf and I’m sorry for that too.

Later that week, the entire team was sitting down in the Man Cave, doing nothing in particular as they looked at the monitors occasionally, waiting to see if a Captain Man and Kid Danger emergency was going to come up that day. 

“Hey, Ray, if it’s cool, I need to leave early Friday,” Henry said looking up from his phone to look at Ray. Ray was sitting in the chair in front of the monitors, and he twisted around to look at Henry. 

“What for?” he asked. Henry opened his mouth to answer, but he remembered Jasper was in the room, and he stopped himself before turning to glance at Jasper. Jasper met Henry’s gaze and furrowed his eyebrows.

“What? Why are you looking at me?” he questioned. Henry looked down at the table, unsure of how to answer. Just then, Jasper figured it out. 

“You have a date, don’t you?” he said quietly. The apologetic look on Henry’s face answered Jasper’s question. He sighed.  
  


“Henry, it’s fine. You can talk about it,” he said. Henry gave him a half-smile before he turned his attention to Ray again.

“So, can I leave early then?” he asked again. Ray nodded in response. 

“So, who is it? What’s their name?” Ray inquired. A delighted smile spread across Henry’s face at the thought of the girl, and that made Jasper feel like his heart was being ripped out of his chest, but he did his best to hide that fact. 

“Her name’s Sophia. She’s in my English class. We’ve been kinda flirty with each other for like a month, but I’ve been putting off asking her out because I was saving up to take her to that new Italian place they just put in on Bleeker Street,” Henry said. Ray crossed his arms over his chest as he looked at his side-kick.

“Isn’t that the place that charges like, ten bucks for _water_?” he asked, a hint of disdain in his voice. 

“I don’t think it’s quite that much, but yeah,” Henry answered. Ray just cracked a smile. 

“Oh, that place is niiiiice!” he said, any hint of disgust in his voice suddenly vanishing. Charlotte reached out and gently squeezed Jasper hand as she gave him a sympathetic look. He just gave her a sorrowful smile as he continued to try to hide his heartache from Henry. 

* * *

After work on Friday, Henry ran home quickly to shower and change for his date before he finally met Sophia at the restaurant. He had tried to insist on picking her up, but considering they lived on opposite ends of town, she thought it would be silly for Henry to walk that far when they could just meet in the middle. Henry had called earlier that week to make reservations, so even though it was a Friday night and the place was busy, they were still able to be seated fairly quickly. 

The place was dimly lit, with most of the light coming from the candles placed in the center of each of the tables. Henry pulled out Sophia’s chair for her before sitting down in his chair across from her. She smiled at him and he returned the smile before she started perusing the menu, with Henry doing the same. Their waiter came over after a moment and took their orders, and afterward, they fell into a slightly awkward silence for a moment as they tried to think of something to say. Finally, Henry asked her about her hobbies, and she started into a long explanation about…something or other. Henry found that he wasn’t really paying attention to what she was saying. The last thing he wanted to be was rude, but he couldn’t help but allow his mind to wander. He wasn’t sure if it was the candlelight or what, but something made his mind keep going back to Jasper. He thought about how Jasper looked in the glow of candlelight the night he stayed over, and how whenever Henry made him smile or laugh, his smile could seemingly light up the whole room. 

Before Henry knew it, he found himself missing Jasper. He was wishing for nothing more than for Jasper to be the one sitting across from him at that table. He was longing for the night to be over so he could go see him. He wished that they were in his living room, snuggling under a blanket while they watched a scary movie. Henry thought about how much he loved when Jasper would get sleepy and he would lean on Henry’s shoulder even though he wouldn’t mean to. 

He felt guilty about it, but whenever Sophia would stop talking, Henry would ask her another question that required a long answer in order to keep her talking so he could drift off into a daydream again. 

After what felt like forever, they finally finished dinner, and Henry offered to walk Sophia home. They walked in silence for a moment, just listening to the sounds of cars passing by and crickets chirping in the night air. Henry shoved his hands into his pockets and sighed as he looked down at the sidewalk while he walked. 

“Are you okay? I feel like I’ve been talking your ear off all night. You’ve been really quiet,” Sophia said finally. Henry sighed as he turned to look at her. 

“Yeah. I’m sorry, I know I haven’t been the best date. I had a rough day at work today so I’m just really tired from that and didn’t feel like talking much. Besides, I enjoyed learning more about you,” Henry lied. Sophia nodded in response. She suspected that he wasn’t being entirely truthful, but she decided not to press the issue. 

When they made it to her front door, Henry turned to face her and smiled. 

“Thanks for coming out with me tonight,” he said. She smiled. 

“Thanks for dinner,” she said. She looked at him for a minute and started to lean in, but he moved away. Sorrow flashed in her eyes at his rejection, but she did her best to hide it.   
  


“I’m sorry,” Henry started, “it’s just…” 

“Don’t be,” Sophia responded. 

“You’re just not feeling it. That’s okay,” she said sincerely.

“I hope we can still be friends,” Henry said hopefully. Sophia nodded, a genuine smile spreading across her lips. 

“Of course.” 

They stood in uncomfortable silence for a moment. 

“Well, I better get inside,” Sophia said. Henry nodded in response. 

“Thanks again for tonight. I had fun,” Sophia said, “I’ll see you Monday, okay?” 

“Yeah, I had fun too. See you Monday,” Henry replied, and he waved goodbye as she went inside and shut her front door behind her. Once she was out of sight, Henry glanced down at the time on his phone. It was almost nine o’clock. Jasper was closing the store that night and it closed at nine, but Henry knew if he ran he could probably make it before Jasper left. 

Henry arrived a few minutes after nine, and he had been moving so fast he practically slammed into the glass door, which Jasper had already locked. Jasper jumped at the sound and turned to see Henry smushed against the glass. He tried his best not to laugh as he went to unlock it. 

“Henry, what the hell are you doing?” he questioned as he opened the door for his friend. Henry stepped inside, still trying to catch his breath. He bent down, leaning his hands on his knees, as sweat glistened on his forehead. Jasper furrowed his eyebrows, clearly perplexed. 

“What, did you run here?” he questioned, half-joking. 

“Yeah,” Henry answered breathlessly as he straightened back up. 

“Why?!” 

“I wanted…to make sure …you hadn’t left yet,” he answered, having to pause between words in order to breathe. Jasper grabbed onto Henry’s arm and led him to one of the chairs as he continued to watch him. Henry plopped down, now finally able to breathe normally again. 

“You could’ve just texted me and asked me to wait here, like…I would’ve done that,” Jasper responded. Henry just looked at him for a moment. 

“Okay, for my sanity, let’s just pretend like that’s not the case,” Henry replied and Jasper smiled as he did his best not to laugh. 

“So, what’s so important that you needed to run all the way here?” Jasper questioned as he sat down next to Henry. Henry took a deep breath as he thought about what to say. 

“Wait, wasn’t your big date tonight? How did that go?” Jasper asked before Henry could say anything. 

“Fine, but Sophia and I decided to just be friends.” 

“Oh, I’m sorry.” 

“I’m fine with it. Besides, that’s not what I came here to say.” 

Jasper watched Henry intently as he waited for him to continue. Henry shifted in his seat in order to face Jasper as he glanced down at his lap for a second. 

“You know, while I was sitting there tonight, you know what I realized?” Henry asked. Jasper shook his head in response. 

“No, what?” he replied. Henry met Jasper’s gaze again. 

“I realized that Sophia’s not you.” 

Jasper narrowed his eyes, now thoroughly confused.  
  


“Okay…interesting observation, Henry, you just now figuring that out?” 

Henry let out a breath. 

“No, I’m not explaining this right,” he started, “While I was sitting there tonight, you know what my mind kept going back to?” 

Jasper shook his head again. 

“You.” 

Jasper’s heart sped up. 

“Okay…” he said slowly. He thought he knew what Henry was saying, but he was afraid he might be wrong. 

“I was thinking about how much fun we had that night you stayed over and before I knew it, I was wishing it was you sitting across the table from me. I was thinking about how much fun we have together, and I wanted nothing more than to just be in my living room with you, snuggling under a blanket while you fall asleep on my shoulder,” Henry paused now, thinking carefully about what he wanted to say next. 

“Sophia’s great. She’s pretty and charming, and I have fun when I’m around her. But, I just didn’t quite get the same feeling with her that I do with you. Being with you makes me feel warm and happy and…” 

Henry stopped for a moment as he looked into Jasper’s blue eyes. 

“Being with you feels like home.” 

Jasper stayed quiet, his expression unchanged as he tried to process everything Henry was saying. There was a part of him that felt like this wasn’t real. 

“I started to realize it that night you stayed over, but I didn’t really get it until tonight,” Henry continued. 

“I really like you,” he finished, his voice small and vulnerable. Jasper just watched him a minute as he thought over what he just heard. After what felt like a lifetime, Henry finally spoke.

“What are you thinking?” he asked softly. Jasper sat back a little as he bit his lower lip.

“I’m thinking that I’m asleep and this a dream, and I’m gonna wake up at any second,” he responded. Henry smiled a little. 

“I promise it’s not a dream,” he replied. 

“Is it a joke, then? Cause, it’s a really mean joke, Henry!” 

Henry’s smile grew.

“Now, why would you ever think I would make such a cruel joke? C’mon, you know me.” 

“I know, I just. It feels too good to be true,” Jasper said gently. Henry intertwined his fingers with Jasper’s. 

“It’s true, though,” he said tenderly.

“Then, you wanna know what I’m thinking now?” Jasper said, a smile forming on his lips. 

“What?” 

Jasper then did something he had been imagining for days on end. 

Kissing Henry felt exciting and right. Both boys felt dizzy in the best way like they were in a dreamy haze that they never wanted to end. Once they parted, Henry smiled at Jasper. 

“I like that thought,” he said. He pulled out his phone then to see that it was only a quarter after nine. 

“My curfew still isn’t for a while, do you want to go do something?” he asked. Jasper nodded.

“Definitely! Let’s go.”


End file.
